Beating Fire and the Competition!
Photo 2286.0037: Hose reel racing on Columbia Avenue, circa 1914.
“A stream was thrown fully 80 feet and a fire in the vicinity should easily have been mastered in a short time. Then another line of hose was attached to the same hydrant. The two streams seemed to be about as strong as the single one. The only trouble was that the nozzle men were unable to hold steady because of the pressure. More than once the nozzles got away from them and flew about like a fire dragon in pyrotechnic display. Several men were knocked down and a great deal of merriment created among the bystanders. Of course it would not be well to have this sort of thing occurring in case of a fire.”
The Fire Department
The first fire department was started on a volunteer basis in 1896, with 18 charter members, under the leadership of Chief E.J. Carson and Assistant Chief C. Scully. All the equipment was bought through fundraising and donations. As early as 1898 an electric fire alarm system was installed in Rossland, with 10 alarm boxes installed throughout the town. By 1900 the fire department owned three horse-drawn carts all equipped with ladders, hoses, and other important equipment.
Notice put in the Rossland Miner informing Rossland residents of the locations of the first fire alarm boxes.
The Hose Reel
In 1896, the Rossland Water & Light Company installed 6 fire hydrants in the city of Rossland to help fight the fires which were all too common in the mining camp. That same year, civic-minded citizen Mr. Lalonde, gathered the funds to buy the camp 500 feet of fire hose, and two hose nozzles. This hose was a source of pride for the local firemen, a symbol of their sophisticated equipment and dedication to the safety of Rossland. Hose reel racing would become a common pastime for the firefighters and demonstrated the strong camaraderie that existed between members of the volunteer force.
Photo 2348.0074: A Rossland hose reel team posed in front of the Fire Hall, date unknown.
Photo 2286.0035: LeRoi Hose Team in Rossland, BC 1912.
Photo 2276.0028: Rossland Firemen stand outside the Fire Hall, circa 1902. Numbered on the photo from left to right: 1: Paddy Walsh, 2: Frank Boyd, 3: Chief Donald Guthrie, 4: Joe Mattin, 5: Dan McDonald, 6: ? Templeman.
The Fire Hall
The beautiful Fire Hall remains one of the most noteworthy heritage buildings in Rossland. The hall was constructed in 1900 to serve as the headquarters for the Rossland Fire Department, becoming operational in early 1901.
Photo 2276.0031: The interior of the Rossland Fire Hall, circa 1901.
“Rossland now has all the essentials for fighting a fire and there is no good reason why we should longer live in dread of a general conflagration. We should congratulate ourselves that we have come thus far without a disaster. Now, let the fire boys in and do some drilling.”
Present Day Firefighting
Firefighting remained a constant throughout Rossland as the years passed. While Rossland’s miners became replaced with skiers and Cominco commuters, the need for fire safety remained, and the fire department continued to focus on improving their fire safety, with the help of any funding they could get. New heavier equipment led the department to move to a new fire hall built on Second Avenue, just half a block from the original heritage building, where the department remains to this day. The department is no longer an autonomous unit, but rather a branch of the regional fire safety department organized through the Regional District of the Kootenay Boundary. The Rossland department is staffed by up to 25 paid, on-call firefighters, as well as supported by many much-needed volunteers.
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